NC Dinos' Mo Chang-min celebrates his grand slam in the 11th inning against the Lotte Giants in the postseason Game 1 at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, Sunday. / Yonhap

By Kang Hyun-kyung

Slugger Mo Chang-min powered the NC Dinos to crush the Lotte Giants by hitting a grand slam off pitcher Jang Si-hwan in the 11th inning in Game 1 of the postseason at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, Sunday.

The Dinos-Giants postseason Game 1 was a nail-biting tug of war until the 10th inning as the two clubs were in a tight game.

The Dinos scored first. In the first inning, infielder Park Min-woo advanced to the home plate after Giants pitcher Josh Lindblom threw a wild pitch. The Dinos scored in the fourth inning and took a 2-0 lead. The Giants chased the Dinos by scoring one in the fourth inning and making the game 2-1.

The Giants missed the opportunity to score further in the sixth inning when the first and third bases were loaded with one out. Infielder Moon Kyu-hyun was struck out and Hwang Jin-soo was outplayed by Dinos outfielder Mo Chang-min's super catch. The tight game became even more exciting in the eighth inning. Giants outfielder Park Heon-do hit a much-needed solo homer, which made the two clubs tied 2-2.

The drama began in the 11th inning. The Dinos' Ji Seok-hun hit a double to right field and advanced to third base after Giants pitcher Park Si-young threw a wild pitch. Kwon Hee-dong brought Ji to home plate after hitting a double to right field. Slugger Mo put the finishing touch on the game by powering a grand slam which made the Dinos lead 9-2.

The entertaining game excited baseball fans in Busan. Tickets for the postseason game were sold out and the stadium was packed with 26,000 spectators who were anxious to see the Giants advance to the best-of-seven Korean Series after defeating the Dinos and last year's champions the Doosan Bears. The Giants-Dinos showdown has drawn keen attention from baseball fans, partly because of their regional rivalry. The Giants were wary of the Dinos when the Masan-based club joined the Korea Baseball Organization League in 2013. It was obvious the advent of the 10th club would inevitably erode the support base of the Giants.

Former Lotte Giants CEO Jang Byung-soo is a harsh critic of the KBO for the baseball authority's decision to allow the Dinos to join the league. He said the Dinos, who played in the minor Future's League, would end up downgrading the quality of the major KBO League games and thus would negatively affect the popularity of the league.

His prediction turned out not to come true. The Dinos clinched their postseason berth in 2014, a year after they joined the KBO League, and have since advanced to the postseason. Last year, the club vied for the pennant race with the regular season winner Doosan Bears. The Dinos lost four straight games in the best-of-seven Korean Series.

Baseball fans taunted the Giants who finished the 2016 regular season in eighth place by calling the club cowards having a Dinos-phobia. This came as the Giants clinched only one win with 15 losses in the 16 games last season. As expected, the rising Dinos, together with the dismal Giants, played a role in eroding the support base of the Giants. Sajik Baseball Stadium was once called the "World's Largest Noraebang" for its ardent baseball fans who sing songs loudly to cheer for the players, but it was no more.

But fans have returned to Sajik Baseball Stadium this season with the return of their hero slugger Lee Dae-ho who played for the Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball League for four years before playing for the Seattle Mariners in the U.S. Major League. The Giants struggled in the first half of the regular season but fiercely rebounded in September.

The Busan-based club finished the season in third and clinched their postseason berth for the first time in five years. During the regular season, the Giants overcame their Dinos-phobia. In 16 games against the Dinos, the Giants won nine.

The two clubs' regional rivalry created tension between their players. Dinos infielder Son Si-heon caused a stir for his remarks made during the Media Day event prior to the 2017 season. Son said at that time he would feel bad if his team was to tie with the Giants' win-loss record. Some baseball fans belatedly cited his remarks as the Giants came in third place while the Dinos finished fourth in the regular season and blamed the Dinos infielder for the alleged "slip of the tongue." Son said he didn't intend to agitate Giants players or their fans and he would not further comment on the intention of his remark he made months ago.